Target



April 8, 1930. B. o. MATTSON TARGET Filed March 8'. 1928 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 PATENT @FFICE BERNARD 0. MAT'ISON, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE TARGET Application filed March 8, 1928. Serial No. 260,071.

This invention relates to improvements in figuredtargets having a body with movable parts which may be hit by missives projected or hurled thereagainst to collapse the same.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a novel target figure including a body having pivoted members thereon rep resenting different parts of the body, such as legs, arms, head and the like; the arms having novel means to support the same in it normally extended relation, so that the members may be locked in a collapsed position when hit by a hurled or projected missile. The improved device furthermore includes novel means for simultaneously setting of all of the members from their collapsed to an extended position.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improved figured target suitable for use at shooting galleries, ball throwing galleries and the like, including the representation of some object having members normally extended therefrom and which may be collapsed and maintained collapsed, but which may be simultaneously released and extended to an operative position.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a rear view of the improved fig; ured target, showing a distorted arrangement of a human figure including a body to which the arms, legs and head are pivoted and maintained extended, but which may be collapsed.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the parts of the improved figure or target, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the improved figured target.

Figure 4: is a fragmentary sectional v1ew of the upper portion of details shown in Figure 2, but with one of the members of the figured object, such as the head, collapsed and held collapsed by a releasable spring detent.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of the invention, the letter A may generally designate the improved figured target, which may consist of a body B having members C pivoted thereto; a head member D pivoted thereto, and leg members E pivoted thereto. Spring detent constructions F are provided for each of the members C, D, and E, adapted to hold the said members in a collapsed position when hit by a hurled or proj ected missile; improved means G being provided to reset the members G, D and E by releasing the detent constructions F.

The figure is a distorted human figure, and the body B is preferably flat. The members or arms C are pivoted by hinges 25 so as to swing to a substantially vertical upright position when extended, above the top edge 27 of the body B. The pivot axes of the springs 25 are arranged at an angle of 45 to the hor izontal, so that the upright members C swing from their substantially vertical position diagonally across the rear of the body to a collapsed position in a transverse right angled relation with the body B. It is to be under stood that the hinges 25 are of the butt hinge type, having leaves thereof pivoted to the said members and the rear of the body, so that the arms C will be entirely invisible from forwardly of the body, when the arms are collapsed into right angled relation behind the body. These butt hinges 25 are of the spring type, having springs 28 associated therewith, normally under tension to throw the members C to their upright extended relation, shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing.

The member 1) represents the head of the figure, and it has a butt hinge 31 which pivotally connects the neck portion of the head on the rear of the body B; the hinge 31 be ing positioned so that its pivot axis is horizontal, so as to swing the head D in a vertical plane. The head may be collapsed entirely behind the body 13 as shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. This butt hinge 31 has a spring 33 also associated therewith, for normally urging the head D to its extended position illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawmg. i

The legs or members E are preferably pivtit) on uv oted by plain butt hinges 36 on the rear of the body B, at the lower portion of the latter, so that the legs E when extended project below the edge 37 of the body B, in representation of the legs of a person. The butt hinges 36 are positioned with their pivot axes in angular relation with respect, to the horizontal, so that the legs E may swing diagonally across the rear of the body B to a ri ht angled transverse concealed relation there ehind, as is readily understandable; The butt hinges 36 do not need springs, inasmuch as the members E operate by gravity to assume their extended relation. 7

All of the detent constructions F are the same. Each consists of a spring detent member 50, of leafspring material, having adetent projection 51 transverse thereto at one end, and at the other end being bolted or connected at 52 to either of the upper or lower supports 54; or 55. The supports 54and 55 are preferably U-shap ed, having parallel leg portions secured at 56 to the back of the body B, at their opposite ends supporting a cross bar 58 uponv which the connections 52 are made. The length of the spring detent members are arranged in right angled relation to theaxisof the respective butt hinges of the members with which said spring detentmembers cooperate, as can be seen from Figure 1 of the drawing. It is to be noted that the cross bars 58 are spaced. some dis tance from the rear surface of the body B, in order to permit an operation of the plunger means G and to permit a practical swinging movement of the members C, D and E.

A further feature of each detent construction F'isthe provision of a rack member 60, secured at'61 on the rear surfaces of each of 3 the members C, D and E,the same being concave-convex or crescent shape, and extending rearwardly in a plane transverse to the respective member on which placed; The members 60 haveconvex edges 62 against which the spring detent projections 51 operate; the

spring 50 being under stress when the members C, D, or E therefor is fully extended. The projection 51 thus operates at all times on theconvex edge 62, except when the plunger G is, actuated to push the springs 50 away from their. racks 60. Thedetent projections v5.1 fall into notches 65, incident to a collapsing movementof the members G,.D, or E, whenthe latter are fully collapsed, and hold j. the members G,.D,.or E in collapsed horizontal position as shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, behind the body B, in a concealed relation therebehind.

The detent release Gconsists of-a plunger 70, reciprocably disposed in a bearing 71 attached to the rearof thebody B; the plunger 70 comprising a stem which extends transversely "through an opening in the center of the body B, and hasa thumb or finger en- '1 gaging -disc72 onthe endthereof forwardly of the body B. At the rear of the body 13 the plunger 70 is provided with a right angled member 75, which at the upper end thereof is forked in three places, at 76, 77 and 78, as shown in Figure 1, for cooperation with the detent springs 50 of the arm members C and D; each of the fork extensions 76, 77 and 7 8" having a right angled lugat' the free end thereof for cooperation against the detent springs 50, to throw the same out of release with the rack which they are adapted to engage. At the lower end below the plunger 70 -the member 75 is also forked in a Y-shaped relation, havingfork extensions 80 and 81 which have right angle lugs at their free ends for cooperation behind the springs 50 ot the detent constructions'of the legs E, as shown in Figures land 2 of the drawing.

The operation of the improved figure target will be apparent from. the foregoing description. It may beused as a ball throwing target or in shootin galleries, and in either event the missile stri ring any of the members C, D, or E will throw them from their extended position to a right angled relation behind the body B. "Thespring detents 50 are flexed with an initial tension'in engagement with their respective racks 60, and of course the springs 50 have an increasing braking action on the rack 60, until the member. C,

'D, or E whichis hit by the missile moves to a right angled concealed relation behind the body B, and the spring detent lug51- enters the notch and holds the respective member C, D or E in its concealed position. When all of the members G, D, and E, or as many as desired have been collapsed, it is only necessary to. push the button 72 of the release mechanism G and the forkfingers 76, 77 and 78,810 and 81 will move into engagement at their right angled lug ends with the springs 50 of the detent construction F, and throwing said springs 50 out of all engagementwith the racks 60. The springs of the butt hinges .for the members Gland-D willthrow the said wardly extendedarms and head pivoted on the body and movable to a collapsed relation therewith, depending legs pivoted upon the body and movableto a collapsed relation therewith, spring means associated with the head and armsto normally move them .to extended relation from the body, a

notched extension on each of the pivoted members at the rear side thereof, a flexing detent spring on the body for each of the notched extensions and engageable with the notched extensions at all times and adapted to lock in the notches of the notched extensicns when the respective members are moved to a collapsed relation upon the body for holding the members in such relation, and releasing plunger means operable from forwardly of the body to simultaneously move the springs with an increasing flexing engagement thereof out of engagement with the notched extensions to release said members in order that they may be moved from a collapsed to an extended relation with the body.

2. In a figured target the combination of a body having a member pivoted thereto so as to permit the same to outstand from the body or be collapsed rearwardly of the body, a segmental arm connected on the rear surface of the body and projecting rearwardly therefrom and having a notch on the convex edge thereof, a resiliently urged detent carried by the body in cam engagement with the convex edge of the arm and adapted to ride into the notch when the pivoted member is collapsed rearwardly of the body to hold the member in such position, and a plunger operable from the front of the body and extending to the rear of the body for flexing the spring urged detent out of the notch and permitting the pivoted member to be extended from the body.

8. In a figured target the combination of a body simulating the body of a human being, a head portion pivoted at the top of the body substantially along the vertical medial line thereof and extensible above the body and collapsible rearwardly in secreted rela tion therebehind, arms pivoted on the body at opposite sides of the head and extensible from the body or collapsible therebehind, spring means for respectively urging the head and arms to an extended relation from the body, legs pivotally connected to the body at the lower portion thereof and oper ating solely by gravity to extend downwardly therefrom, a rear cam extension on each of the head, legs and arms, each extension having a rearwardly facing convex cam surface provided with a notch therein adjacent to the respective head, arms or legs with which connected, an inherently flexible leaf spring for each cam extension connected at one end on the body and at its other end having a projection riding on the convex edge of the respective cam extension, a push button construction through the body substantially centrally thereon operable from the front of the body and extending rearwardly therefrom, and an elongated member on the rear of said push button construction rearwardly of the body having a plurality of upwardly extending relatively divergent shanks of out of engagement with their respective cam extensions.

BERNARD O. MATTSON. 

